Our bible is God’s word to us as Christians; it was written down under God’s inspiration: - “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Tim 3:16-17; KJV).

The bible is the Christians manual or handbook, just like a new car comes with an operator’s manual. The bible tells us how to live to please God, what He has for us and how He wants to use us.

God’s word is truth (John 17:17) and in John’s Gospel we are also told that the truth will set us free (John 8:32); free to live an abundant life as God lives it (John 10:10). In Proverbs we are told that God’s word brings life and health (Prov 4:22). God’s word is powerful (Heb 4:12); God spoke the word over creation and there was light (Gen 1:3).

The Bible is not a book to be read as literature but prayer fully, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (John 14:26) The Holy Spirit will reveal God’s truths to our spirit; we call this revelation and not just head knowledge. The word will guide us through all the challenges of life (Ps 119:105).  

Meditating the scriptures (Ps 119:15) causes our faith to grow (Rom 10:17); faith to receive from all God’s promises found in His word. To meditate is simply to dwell on parts of the bible and roll then around in our minds.

We can rely on God’s word; it is settled in heaven (Ps 119:89) and it will never return to us void (Is 55:11). It will never let us down. Spend time in the Bible and God’s presence today: “My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart; for they are life unto those who find them, and health to all their flesh" (Prov 4:20-22; KJV).

In 1 Cor 10:13 the word “temptation” does involve being tempted to sin but it also includes the broader sense of the tests and trials (pressures, circumstances and the hostile opposition of people) that come against us every day.

So often the devil tries to make us feel that it is only me as an individual that has a particular problem. What’s the matter with me? How come everyone else has no problem with this? But praise God this passage from Corinthians goes on to show us that all our tests and trials are common to man, in other words, we all experience the same tests and trials!

Even more exciting is the last part of the verse where God says He won’t allow the pressure to get beyond what we can bear and He will provide the way of escape. Not any way but the way, His way! So often we try to dig our way out in our own efforts, or is that only me that does that?

In 2 Cor 12:9 God tells us that His grace is sufficient for us and when we are weak He can be strong in our lives. In other words, when we back off and say: “God I can’t deal with this, you are going to have take care of it”, He can come in and show us the way.

Be at peace today and be sensitive to His voice, “casting all your cares on Him for He cares for you” (1Peter 5:7) and He will show you the way and lift you up.

Halleluiah, I think I just preached myself happy!

Jesus said: “do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” (Matt 6:25) The Apostle Peter told us to cast every care on Jesus as Jesus loves us (1 Peter 5:7.) That’s every care.

In Matthew chapter 6, Jesus illustrated Gods ability to care for us and to meet our needs. Jesus said why would you worry? Look how God feeds the birds! They don’t even farm; God feeds them. Look at the flowers in summer time. Not even Solomon with all his wealth and resources could get clothes to match the beauty of a flower garden.

In Philippians Chapter 4 and verse 19 Paul said: “and my God shall supply all your need according to His riches and glory in Christ Jesus”. Notice that God supplies all of your need according to His resources! It gets even better; Paul told us that God can do more that we can think or ask (Eph 3:20).

Again, in our main passage from Mathews Gospel, Jesus said that if we seek God and walk in obedience to Him, then: “all these things shall be added to you” (Matt 6:33). Now that’s good news, not something to worry about!

When Jesus taught in the synagogue in His home town of Nazareth he quoted from Isaiah 61:1-2 (Luke 4:18-19): "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." (NKJV)

He announced that He had been sent to preach the good news of the Gospel; God’s free gift of forgiveness and salvation through Christ Jesus. He proclaimed or heralded (preached) that His ministry on this earth initiated the season or age of grace, when salvation was freely available to all men and women. We still live in that age!

In the quotation from Isaiah, Jesus also said that God sent Him to heal the bruised and crushed, to free those who had been harassed and held captive by satan and to open the eyes of the blind (physically and spiritually).

Jesus did all of this in the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit who dwelt in Him (Luke 4:18; John 1:32-33; Acts 10:38). Do you realize that you have the same Holy Spirit anointing on the inside of you to empower you to continue the ministry of Jesus (Mk 16:15-18)? Jesus did say go (Matt 28:18-20).

We hear much about the importance of the words, faith, prayer, praise, the fear of God, obedience, humility, repentance and the need for change in our Christian walk and so we should! But God’s cardinal commands are to Love Him with all our heart, soul and mind and our neighbor as ourselves (Matt 22:37-39)!

Jesus gave us a new command that we love each other as He loves us; by this He said the world would know that we are Christians (John 13:34). In the great love chapter of the Bible (1Cor 13:1-13) Paul tells us that without love we are nothing!! Of faith hope and love the greatest is love, Paul says (1Cor 13:13)!!

The Greek word for love that is used dominantly in the New Testament is agapao; God’s unconditional love and the love that we are called to love with. First Corinthians chapter 13 defines this love for us, take time to meditate on it! The bible says Gods love is in us, poured in by the Holy Spirit (Rom 5:5) God demonstrated the extent of this love by allowing Christ to die for us (Rom 5:8)!

We are called to love with our words (Eph 4:15); words that come from our hearts and are spoken in love. But love has to go beyond our words, to actions and our deeds (1John 3:18); love must be demonstrated, just as faith is not faith without corresponding actions (James 2:17). Think how you can share Gods love today; a gentle encouraging word, a kind spontaneous action.